1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to user communication devices, and in particular to a method, apparatus, and program for providing user-selected alerting signals in telephones and other user communication devices.
2. Related Art
Conventional telephones typically generate some type of alerting signal, such as a ringing tone, in response to receiving an incoming call signal, to alert the user of the receipt of a call. Typically, a telephone is capable of generating only one type of ringing signal, and generates that signal whenever a call from any source device is received. With such conventional telephones, therefore, the user has no idea who the calling party is until he or she picks up the handset and the calling party identifies itself.
In the past several years, caller identification systems have been developed, to inform users of the identity of a calling party before a conversation begins. Such caller identification systems process the incoming call signal to determine the calling telephone number and/or the actual identity (such as the name) of the calling party, and present that information to the user on a visual display, such as a liquid crystal display. When the phone rings to indicate the receipt of the call, the user typically walks to the phone, looks at the display and makes a determination as to whether her or she wants to pick up the handset and have a conversation with the caller.
A primary drawback of such caller identification devices, however, stems from the use of a visual display to convey information. More specifically, because those systems present the identification information in a completely visual, rather than audible, format, they require the user to be at the telephone or at least in close enough of a proximity to view the display, in order to know who is calling. Thus, a called party who is, for example, watching television in the living room, and whose telephone is in the kitchen, would need to get up, walk to the telephone, and look at the display, perhaps only to determine that he or she does not want to take that call in the first place. Such occurrences can be frustrating and annoying to the user.
At least some telephones and Private Branch Exchanges (PBX) equipment have the capability to enable very crude audible caller identification. For example, some private network telephones (such as telephones used in an office environment) generate one type of ringing sequence (such as a single ring) in response to calls received from equipment located in the network, and another type of ringing sequence (such as two very close temporally-spaced rings) in response to calls being received from equipment located outside of the network. By recognizing the ringing sequence, the called party can discern if the call is an “inside” or “outside” call. In some cases, office telephones are configured to both ring in different sequences for inside and outside calls, and to visually display the name and/or number of the calling party. The caller audible identification enabled by such systems, however, is extremely rudimentary, in that it distinguishes only between inside and outside calls, and does not give any further indication as to the identity of the calling party.
There therefore exists a need for a new caller identification technique that takes an entirely fresh approach, and uses audible signals to identify calling parties which a much greater level of specificity than the prior, out-dated systems discussed above.